fog my day

There is a tremendous fog outside. The plaza I work in seems to reach the outer-space. I cannot see its roof. Big bosses at the top are the lucky ones to see the sun when the city falls into darkness. How bizarre it is to recall, but the last office I worked in was at the top floor of a plaza. The scene of fog below you, having just swallowed the city is one hell of a moment. It gives you the crazy feeling that you are actually... untouchable. You are at top, and still alive. You have now the blessing of the zeitgeist. A kiss from the angels of capitalism. A pat at the back by Darwin. A handshake from God... Mannnn, I like power!... You are looking at the window and thinking these things, then the program manager walks in and reminds you that he wants the report done by tonight. Suddenly no, you are not untouchable. Fuck!

Anyway, to give you a better understanding, the below scene is from Dubai.

My fellow readers

No I am not dead. Not yet. I've been leaning on my Turkish site for some time and I totally neglected my English readers. Just exactly how many English readers do I have? Let me see. Nooooone :)) But what can I do, heh? It is the eternal whinning of the blogger! "Nobody's reading me! Nobody cares! How dare you don't!"

Ha haaa:)) Since no one is reading me, I can just go ahead and tell my evil plans of destroying the world. If I can get the attention of the police or something then I'll consider myself lucky.

Ok here I go, first you take a bomb and ....

Still All Armenian!

This saturday we will commemorate Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor and peace activist Hrant Dink. It will be 1st anniversary of his assassination by the extremist Turkish nationalists. Extremist nationalists? Lets skip the BBC language for a minute, and call them what they are: racist fascists. I bet they did not expect one hundred thousand people gathering at his funeral. No one did. A non muslim, non Turkish, non Ataturkist writer got killed and all of a sudden thousands of people showed up and shouted first time in entire Turkish or Ottoman history with one voice: "We are all Armenians!". That was a sight worth seeing. People cried, shed tears, but at the end of the day we all went home with a sense of hope, and realization of our true power. State rulers, police and their mafia ties, they all got scared out of this scene. Hrant's death was the Turkish "Ya basta" against nationalism inside. First time in Turkish history, the official denial of the Armenian genocide was challenged by the masses.



Of course pessimist leftists (whose title remains an oxymoron by definition), were eager to depict the true impact of the All Armenian! march. For some reason, they suggested that left lost all the momentum after the march and the mass gathering in the funeral was an occasional thing. "Look" they accused "people marched one day and then went straight back home. So we can't talk of any progress can we?" Needless to say, this is an awkward understanding of the historical course. And elitist too, always ready in its corner to blame the masses for being selfish.


History does not lead a linear path my friends. Neither do the masses. You are right, we are selfish, pitiful, small people. We know the world is a scary place. We know how evil the oppressors can get. So did Hrant. Yet, we only get our strength from each other.


When we are together we overcome our fear. When we are millions we overcome those whom we fear. This Saturday we are together once again. This Saturday we are all Hrant. This Saturday we are all Armenian!

Kurdish descended soldier surviving battle sentenced for life

Thanks to Kenan Erçel, his article below would suffice to sum up the case.

Turkey's Dreyfus Affair (of Sorts)

On October 21, 2007, after an ambush on a military outpost in an Eastern province of Turkey, eight soldiers of the Turkish army were captured by PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party) militants and were taken across the border to Northern Iraq where they were held captive for two weeks before being released. Release, however, didn't bring these eight young men relief. For no sooner were they let go by their captors than they were arrested by the Turkish military, even before they could meet their families and celebrate their safe homecoming against the odds. Twelve other Turkish soldiers were killed in the ambush, alongside thirty PKK militants...

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faculty kicks me out! Damn!

Yes that's right! Bogazici University Department of Philosophy just kicked me out of the MA program due to my bad grades. It is the faculty rule to eliminate any MA student who receives an F from any class, and gets an average less than 2.5 out of 4.0 per a semi-semester! The faculty does not give any extension or a second chance for these students because they are deemed to have proven not to have necessary qualifications for the program. And that is that! Rotten tomatoes are taken care of and the star education system moves forward, as always!

We the lazy majority are the doomed ones! It would most probably be a lot easier if I could just afford to continue my education without being have to have a day job! Don't you think? Maybe then I would have the chance to STUDY for my courses with full liberty of time! But hey, it is all my fault if I failed to find a MIRACULOUS way to combine my occupation with my passion, regardless of how bad-ass the conditions can get! Isn't it?

If I can somehow manage to concentrate the only 2 hours of free time I am left out of work, into studying, then I am praise-worthy, then I am hardworking, then I am a good citizen! But if I choose to spend my free time watching sitcoms, reading comics, or just snapping in front of TV then I am a lazy, no-good-for-nothing son of a bitch!

I hear people saying "You knew the consequences! Why did you enroll in the program in the first place?" Because i wanted to god damn it! Because I had to take the shot! Because I am human! I have wishes, I have desires, I have the need to learn! Just because I love aaaall that and that I believe Bogazici University is a cool place to study at (it is indeed), does not mean that I won't fight for my right to make mistakes and waste my time lazily! Did I mention that I was only human?

Some of you might be wondering why I insist calling myself a lazy ass -Tembel Ard, remember our Turkish lessons ;)-, because that's what I am, because that's what I hope for all of us to be one day. This success-driven world is always ready to frame you as the lazy one, so be it brother! I figured there is practically no way to to convince your oppressors or the gate-holders that you've done your best, and a little more effort will exhaust you! There is always that little extra you could have put out! Shame on you!


If you are a 15 year old working in the mines, and you want out; you are lazy!


If you are a day worker and you work 15 hours, and you want it to drop to 12; you are lazy!


You work 12 hours, and you want 8, you are lazy!


You work 8 hours day job, and want to study philosophy because you just want to, man you are nuts and lazy!


What-ever!


I tell you one thing, one thing I am sure of, this world WILL change! And we will get rid of all whips whatsoever, economic and academic! All of them! But since that time, the golden rule, and never forget:



A SLAVE HAS ALL THE RIGHT TO BE LAZY! USE IT!




Indeed:) Now the perfect goodbye!





Millions of thanks to whomever drew this!

Gay designer under fire for defending muslims

It's the latest mambo jambo. Gay fashion designer Cemil Ipekci is under fire by the mainstream Turkish media for defending muslim women's right to wear headscarves. He recently raised the tone of his critism against the famous headscarf ban. He believes this ban is an obstacle on the way to women's self-expression and announced not to organize any fashion shows unless this ban is ruled out. And now tabloits like Hurriyet are messing with him.

The furry is unleashed by the "secular" elite who believe headscarf ban is the right thing and a necessity for entegration with modern West. The bullshit story is that Ipekci "seemingly" defends muslim rights for keeping up good relations with the pro-islamist AKP Government. AKP government gave him the designing job for several public services, like designing postal workers' suits and Turkish airways planes. Ipekci, in defence, claims that his alliance with the oppressed muslim majority has nothing to do with earning more public tenders from the government because he is wealthy enough not to need such governmental money. That may not be the best defence to such accusation, but is mostly true for a fact.

Cemil Ipekci, being a dominant figure in Turkish fashion industry, is an outspoken figure in political events as well as his sexual orientation. Funny dilemma with the "secular" elite is that although they claim the title for modernity and liberal thought, they attack Ipekci with negative implications on his homosexuality. Zeynep Tunuslu, another well-known designer, said "It does not take a woman to wear the headscarf, Cemil can wear it even right now!". And these people are defending sexual liberation???

AKP, although having won the popular vote twice in 5 years, still is not the actual authority in Turkey. The army-backed white-Turk elite fights AKP off in every inch of their influence; and the headscarf issue, although symbolic, is a distinct front in this battle. Army generals threaten AKP with a possible coup if AKP tries to rule out the headscarf ban.

On air in English!

Hello there. This is the blog of Tembel Ard, me. In Turkish tembel means lazy, and ard, uggh... I guess it means "behind" or "back". So it makes me a lazy ass! Would not complain about it though :)

Ok, some certain stuff you need to know about me for honesty purposes:

1) from Istanbul: you already know that. and Turkish.

2) lazy: you know this one too, but I have reasons of my own which I intend to disclose in short period of time.

3) socialist: yeah some political stuff, sorry I can't help it. Believe me I've tried!

4) bad english, bad spelling: you will see.

5) Not the same content with my Turkish blog: This is mainly because I don't have enough time to try to translate each post into English or visa versa. Plus, I don't have enough English for that either. Another reason is the fact that each blog appeals to different viewers. Anyone being unhappy about this idea please write to me. Or language permitting please wander in both blogs. If you come across any information that you think conflicts with the other, or needs proper translation please let me know.

That's it then, I will be back.

Thanks for your time.

Ard